Stats for the day by Brett Goebel
69 windmills, 50 white horses - Windmills won!
Distance: 203.7 kms
Ride Time: 7 hours 30 min
Ave Speed: 19.9 km/h
Max Speed: 83 km/h
Climbing: 1234 metres
Min Temp: 8 degrees
Max Temp: 28 degrees
Guest Bloggers
Thank you to the Richardson Brothers and Alex for writing tonight's blog.
Road Kill by Eric StayKov and Roger
1 black crow, kangaroo, magpie, ufo, fox, lizard, fish in a tree, shag bird, 2 wallabies, echidna, ufo, 4-5 other kangaroos.
Guest Speaker
Tonight Lance Chamberlaine spoke of his journey to Smiddy from being overweight at 120 kg. The loss of close friends who lost their children to cancer, both under the age of 10.
Jersey Recipients
Lance was also awarded the category jersey tonight for stepping up within the peloton the past couple of days and helping out those riders that were struggling. His spirit, mateship and caring personality has been appreciated by riders and road crew alike.
Tonight a second jersey was handed out and this time it went to Ashleigh Muir, who is experiencing road crew duties for the very first time thanks to her mum Wendy. Ashleigh has been a real quiet achiever, just gets in and gets the job done with no fanfare, just like her Mum, and is a real role model for young girls out there looking to do something for any charity.
First of all, we all have our own battles that get us up those hills, but a big Thanks to lance, and the others who have spoken above about their tough times.
Day 3 started early once again with an amazing breakfast prepared by the road crew as all riders efficiently packed their bags, rolled their swags and stashed their goodies before tucking into the freshly cooked bacon and eggs. Everyone was prepared for the perfect 6 a.m. rollout until Double Dee realized she was missing her heart-rate monitor. In a tizz, she remembers she put it safely in the bottom of her swag, which was now safely packed in the bottom of the truck. Without even batting an eyelid, the amazing road crew went to work, located the swag, retrieved the heart rate strap, and Dee was ready to once again resume her position in the peloton.
We rolled out late thanks to Dee, but into an absolutely cracking day, albeit with negative temperatures that Stanthorpe is so famous for. There was no sign of the 30% climbs, 200m of dirt roads with moguls , or the 2000 km per hour winds as we climbed to 'The Summit', the highest railway station and postcode in Queensland, and maybe the world.
A special mention must go out to Bretty and Krista for their sparkling clean chains that blinded the road crew as they cruised passed the peloton smarting with their freshly ground coffee in hand. After a quick water stop, we commenced the remainder of our day descending from the top of the earth down another filthy dirt road. We were cruising along, wind in our hair, bunny hopping pot holes and throwing away any excess equipment (like saddle bags and drink bottles) hunting for that elusive dirt road strava segment when Selina tried her hardest to hit a kangaroo just to increase the road kill count. Despite her best efforts, it was Lance, the Yowie Wilddog who suffered on the dirt with a flat tire. This didn't phase our king of the mountain, as he seems to have made an instant recovery after his sojourn to find out "If a bear s&^*s in the woods". Yowie is now also claiming the title of time trial champion after his solo pursuit back onto the pack, however rumors has it that he may be consuming some 'peptides and other substances' that have previously been banned thanks to Lance Armstrong and a AFL football club that won't be mentioned.
It was under picturesque clear blue skies that we rolled the remainder of the 77km into and out of morning tea without a care in the world. Our perfect world came crashing down when we stopped for a water refill next to swap known by locals to breed blood thirsty dinner plate sized Mosquito’s. After some very very quick nature breaks it was the first and only time that riders were on their bikes and actually riding away before we were asked to just to escape these flesh eating monsters.
It should also be put on record that Geevse out of nowhere found his cycling kit, manhandled serge to steal his bike,, and was off at the front of the peloton to lead the group joyfully towards lunch.
On a day that Killer promised would to be all downhill, we ran into a few lumps with nasty crosswinds on our way to lunch, that felt like we were riding up the back of Coot-tha, with flat tires, on a city cycle bike. Such was the pain caused from all the torture inflicted by mother nature over the last 2 days, the sighting of the road crew at lunch after just 28 km since the mosquito infested water stop let out the creative vocabulary of a smiddy rider (who will remain unnamed) let rip with "Thank f$%& we are here". It was with 148 km under our legs at an average of 28 km per hour we all tucked into the hearty lunch prepared by the road crew.
After lunch, we were once again late to rollout because the resident skater boys (Serge and Liam) where doing tailflips and pulling 3 feet of air in the halfpipe across the road. Needless to say this was the least of our concerns, as we turned right and rode kilometers through Pittsworth before Siri realized that Geeves took a wrong turn despite his state of the art navigation system loaned from NASA.
Once we were back on track with at least 10 more superfluous kilometers on our saddle sores, we were again on our way downhill towards afternoon tea.
A further glorious 27 km downhill between lunch and afternoon tea were covered, with just enough time to refresh Eric's arms to allow him to notch up his 1000 push-ups for the day, because everyone knows that Sunday is beach muscle day at the gym right Eric?
The seesaw, swing and playground at the park got a bigger workout than everyone’s chamois cream for the next 10 mins as everyone’s inner child was on display. Before we knew it, we back on our bikes and counting down the last 30 km as we cruised to our final destination, Jondaryan Woolshed.
In total, we averaged 27 km per hour over 203 km on an absolute ripsnorter of a day, a stark contrast to the ridiculous 2 days that we previously rode. A huge congratulation goes out to all riders and road crew for an epic day, but especially to those who have just completed their longest rides ever. Sweet dreams Smiddy riders, one day to go.
Showing posts with label 2016. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2016. Show all posts
Sunday, 2 October 2016
Thursday, 9 June 2016
2016 ADELAIDE TO ULURU - UP THE GUTS ODYSSEY
DAY 3 Port Augusta To Woomera
Distance: 178km's
Average: 26 km/h
Max Speed: 42km/h
Climbing: 675 metres
Riding time: 7:30
Temp Min: Minus 9 degrees
Temp Max: 19 degrees
Wind:Very light crosswinds and tailwind in the afternoon.
Windmills: nil
White horses: nil
Blog By: Ollie Clissold
What a pleasure it was wake up without the wind and rain of the first two days. The forecast was good and the skies were blue as we assembled and signed in for the day with the usual bountiful breakfast put on by our amazing road crew. We were all looking forward to a day of flat dry conditions on the Stuart Highway.
We started the ride with our acknowledgement of the traditional owners of the countries through which we were to ride today, the Nukunu and Banggarla people. We paid our respects to the people, their culture and their elders, past, present and future. Sadly, both the Nukunu and Banggarla languages are now moribund, with no known speakers since census and research in the 1970s. In recent years, the Banggarla people have undertaken a language reclamation initiative to try to revive the language based on some 170 year old documents. We reflected, as we do each morning, on the long history of the people who inhabited these regions and the importance of recognising and acknowledging their special relationship to the land.
It was a relatively late start today, at 7 am, but we felt we had deserved the lie in after the brutal 215 kms from Clare into that headwind and rain. We turned right out of town to be greeted by a sign directing us to Alice Springs and Darwin, which listed the names against some intimidating numbers of kilometres to the north. The cold temperatures had us wrapped up in our various colours of outer layers and you might not have recognised it for the Smiddy peloton had it not been for the excellent formation riding and discipline, assured by the great example set by our ride leaders. We snaked our way northwards as the sun rose to greet us and warm our weary limbs. As the temperature rose, the peloton slowly exfoliated layer after layer until, by morning tea, we were, for the first time this trip, all proudly displaying our recognisable Smiddy attire. We settled in to a good rhythm and without the wind and rain we could finally enjoy each other’s company and get to know each other through the traditional passing conversations and jokes up and down the line.
We all know that starting a Smiddy day can be cold, dark and confusing, and people can be forgiven for making silly mistakes. Dougie Hughes however, has managed to pick out mismatched socks for three days in a row. Fluorescent pink on one side and yellow on the other, you’d almost think that he was doing it on purpose!
We were pleasantly surprised by the road surface, pretty smooth and very few holes to point out. The only real danger was the cattle grids every few kilometres, especially with the unpredictable location of the expansion breaks. Some riders managed to hop almost the full grid while most of us just rose to the occasion to save our bruised behinds. The rattling over the second grid saw Andrew Freebie lose his front light while Kevin Moultree blew a spoke.
At morning tea, we noted that Jayden Swarbrick had ‘been here’ from the graffiti over the latrines, although he denied any connection!
Some of us were fooled by what appeared to be Uluru in the distance, almost like a scale model on the horizon, a mirage perhaps!
We had covered most of the ‘serious’ climbing in the first two days, but we still seemed to be doing a fair share of uphill, albeit very gentle by Smiddy standards. Some of us decided we would need to redefine the categorisation system for the climbs on this trip, and declared the 2 percenter that we were on a ‘Cat 3’ climb by these standards. Perhaps the only ‘HC’ climb on this trip would be Uluru itself. A friend of mine told me he would sponsor me $100 for the ride, as long as I promised that I would not be climbing Uluru when we arrived there; he felt strongly about that issue. I’m always looking for smart ways to increase the sponsorship for this fantastic cause, so I told him another friend had already offered me $200 if I did climb Uluru. He promptly increased his offering to $200, and made me wonder what other types of auction we might create to raise more funds!
There would certainly be no ‘king of the mountains’ award on this trip, but we did have a couple of Queens of the Desert awarded the night before and Andrew Freebie and Adrian Cross dutifully wore their rainbow gloves and other adornments for the whole day.
Lunch was served at the Maria Café by a pipeline that seemed to go on forever, some of us sat on the pipe to eat our lunch, I think that just being able to sit on something that wasn’t a bike seat was a welcome relief! As we left the lunch area, Harry Notaras managed to get himself involved in a single vehicle accident by trying to balance against a guide post, which turned out to be one of the fallover types!.
Bretty Geoble worried Kim Gryllis by repeatedly asking ‘have you seen my glasses’, she replied ‘they are on you’; ‘where’ he said, patting down his pockets and looking around himself; ‘on you!’, Kim insisted, ‘on your face’!
We had a welcome guest on our ride today, Aaron, who became a great supporter and sponsor this year. He joined us for dinner and caught the midnight bus back home to Port Augusta; what a legend!
We had a few road trains roar past us today, some blaring their sirens as they past, and demonstrating a full range of the Doppler Effect to our ears.
As we approached Woomera, we were pleased to note it was still light and something triggered one of those amazing Smiddy hug-fests, the end of a hard day and the celebration of friends, old and new.
Cheers,
Ollie 'Oozo' Clissold
Distance: 178km's
Average: 26 km/h
Max Speed: 42km/h
Climbing: 675 metres
Riding time: 7:30
Temp Min: Minus 9 degrees
Temp Max: 19 degrees
Wind:Very light crosswinds and tailwind in the afternoon.
Windmills: nil
White horses: nil
Blog By: Ollie Clissold
What a pleasure it was wake up without the wind and rain of the first two days. The forecast was good and the skies were blue as we assembled and signed in for the day with the usual bountiful breakfast put on by our amazing road crew. We were all looking forward to a day of flat dry conditions on the Stuart Highway.
We started the ride with our acknowledgement of the traditional owners of the countries through which we were to ride today, the Nukunu and Banggarla people. We paid our respects to the people, their culture and their elders, past, present and future. Sadly, both the Nukunu and Banggarla languages are now moribund, with no known speakers since census and research in the 1970s. In recent years, the Banggarla people have undertaken a language reclamation initiative to try to revive the language based on some 170 year old documents. We reflected, as we do each morning, on the long history of the people who inhabited these regions and the importance of recognising and acknowledging their special relationship to the land.
It was a relatively late start today, at 7 am, but we felt we had deserved the lie in after the brutal 215 kms from Clare into that headwind and rain. We turned right out of town to be greeted by a sign directing us to Alice Springs and Darwin, which listed the names against some intimidating numbers of kilometres to the north. The cold temperatures had us wrapped up in our various colours of outer layers and you might not have recognised it for the Smiddy peloton had it not been for the excellent formation riding and discipline, assured by the great example set by our ride leaders. We snaked our way northwards as the sun rose to greet us and warm our weary limbs. As the temperature rose, the peloton slowly exfoliated layer after layer until, by morning tea, we were, for the first time this trip, all proudly displaying our recognisable Smiddy attire. We settled in to a good rhythm and without the wind and rain we could finally enjoy each other’s company and get to know each other through the traditional passing conversations and jokes up and down the line.
We all know that starting a Smiddy day can be cold, dark and confusing, and people can be forgiven for making silly mistakes. Dougie Hughes however, has managed to pick out mismatched socks for three days in a row. Fluorescent pink on one side and yellow on the other, you’d almost think that he was doing it on purpose!
We were pleasantly surprised by the road surface, pretty smooth and very few holes to point out. The only real danger was the cattle grids every few kilometres, especially with the unpredictable location of the expansion breaks. Some riders managed to hop almost the full grid while most of us just rose to the occasion to save our bruised behinds. The rattling over the second grid saw Andrew Freebie lose his front light while Kevin Moultree blew a spoke.
At morning tea, we noted that Jayden Swarbrick had ‘been here’ from the graffiti over the latrines, although he denied any connection!
Some of us were fooled by what appeared to be Uluru in the distance, almost like a scale model on the horizon, a mirage perhaps!
We had covered most of the ‘serious’ climbing in the first two days, but we still seemed to be doing a fair share of uphill, albeit very gentle by Smiddy standards. Some of us decided we would need to redefine the categorisation system for the climbs on this trip, and declared the 2 percenter that we were on a ‘Cat 3’ climb by these standards. Perhaps the only ‘HC’ climb on this trip would be Uluru itself. A friend of mine told me he would sponsor me $100 for the ride, as long as I promised that I would not be climbing Uluru when we arrived there; he felt strongly about that issue. I’m always looking for smart ways to increase the sponsorship for this fantastic cause, so I told him another friend had already offered me $200 if I did climb Uluru. He promptly increased his offering to $200, and made me wonder what other types of auction we might create to raise more funds!
There would certainly be no ‘king of the mountains’ award on this trip, but we did have a couple of Queens of the Desert awarded the night before and Andrew Freebie and Adrian Cross dutifully wore their rainbow gloves and other adornments for the whole day.
Lunch was served at the Maria Café by a pipeline that seemed to go on forever, some of us sat on the pipe to eat our lunch, I think that just being able to sit on something that wasn’t a bike seat was a welcome relief! As we left the lunch area, Harry Notaras managed to get himself involved in a single vehicle accident by trying to balance against a guide post, which turned out to be one of the fallover types!.
Bretty Geoble worried Kim Gryllis by repeatedly asking ‘have you seen my glasses’, she replied ‘they are on you’; ‘where’ he said, patting down his pockets and looking around himself; ‘on you!’, Kim insisted, ‘on your face’!
We had a welcome guest on our ride today, Aaron, who became a great supporter and sponsor this year. He joined us for dinner and caught the midnight bus back home to Port Augusta; what a legend!
We had a few road trains roar past us today, some blaring their sirens as they past, and demonstrating a full range of the Doppler Effect to our ears.
As we approached Woomera, we were pleased to note it was still light and something triggered one of those amazing Smiddy hug-fests, the end of a hard day and the celebration of friends, old and new.
Cheers,
Ollie 'Oozo' Clissold
Monday, 21 March 2016
2016 New Zealand Smiddy Challenge - Day Five
Day five - Arthurs Pass to Christchurch
Ride Stats:
Total Distance: 145.8 km
Total calories burnt: 2565 calories which equalled the beer and wine drunk that
night to celebrate
Total climbing distance: 1 171 m vertical climbing (or you can call it elevation)
Average speed: 26.3km/h, which is a really good pace for day 5
when all our legs are tired from the previous 4 days riding
Total riding time: 5 hours33 minutes
Total lapsed time: 8 hours 08 minutes, which means we relaxed a bit more at
the breaks and enjoyed the last day of the road crews catering
Minimum temp:1 degree s
Maximum temp: 24 degrees
Winds: hard headwind for the final 50km
Road kill count:
16 x
UFOs
1 x
NZ $2o bird
1 x
hanging possum
1 x
normal possum
11 x
waterfalls
Day five dawned clear and crisp in the remote little
township of Bealey where there is a pub, a lodge and not much else. As we woke
up and slowly got ready for the last day on tour the mist in the distance
started to roll towards us and got thicker and thicker.
We had a classic "Perkynana" moment as a bleary
eyed Kevin Douglas walked out of his room holding a little teddy bear that he
had slept with but had no idea how it got there. The other riders helped him
out by showing the photographic evidence of Kevin abducting the little teddy
from the pub the night before. Kevin tried to act innocent but he was guilty
and couldn't hide from the evidence.
The roll out time was 7.30 am but no one was in a hurry
because we all knew this was our last day together. Sir Kevvy asked Neil to
ring the ceremonial Smiddy cow bell to start the ride which he accepted with
great honour. Neil is the oldest rider on tour and an inspiration to us all as
he gave everything he had every day to keep the pace and make all the climbs.
The first hour of the ride was in thick fog which hid the
scenery. I was about to say "I think it's going to clear soon" but
realised I had been banned from mentioning the weather. Eventually the fog did
clear and the scenery was again breathtaking. The road was weaving its way
through the valley next to a clear river surrounded by mountains. Every climb
and corner had another awe inspiring view that took the mind off our aches and pains.
The peloton was riding in complete unison and rolling
smoothly as we all took a turn on the front. The riders were quiet and focused
counting down the kilometres to the first comfort stop. The road crew were waiting for
us at a rest area with a hut and a toilet, which some of the riders missed
completely as they headed for the bushes. Sammi-Jo was kept busy massaging and
stretching and supporting some weary riders.
The conditions on dayfive were perfect as we gradually
descended from Arthurs Pass National Park on state highway 73 towards
Christchurch. We had just a couple of medium sized climbs to get through before
the famous descent that Killer had warned us about. After a quick safety
briefing at the top we were all let loose to ride down at our own pace. Some of
the experienced riders quickly got up speed and flew down the winding road
while the rest of us more cautious cyclists took our time. It didn't matter as
we were all smiling when we regrouped.
Only a few kilometres to go until lunch and we were all hanging
in there feeling hungry, tired but exhilarated at the same time. Just outside
Sheffield we were joined by a group of Smiddy riders who had travelled to
Christchurch for Le Race on Saturday. They had ridden out to meet us and we
were very grateful to see them as the wind picked up and the tail wind we had
been enjoying turned into a fierce energy-sapping head wind.
The head wind stayed with us all the way to Christchurch
and really hurt the New Zealand riders physically but not mentally. Nothing
could dampen the Smiddy spirit and feeling of camaraderie that had developed
between this group of cyclists and road crew.
The last few kilometres of the tour was through the back streets
of Christchurch to our final destination. The roads we had travelled for most
of the 700 km had been perfect and enjoyable but Christchurch is still
recovering from the 2010/11 earthquakes and the roads are not in great
condition with a lot of patching. We had to stay focused and 'keep it classy' as
ride leader Coollie would stay.
And then we were done and the 2016 New Zealand Smiddy
tour was over. 22 strangers had become friends and everyone was hugging and
laughing with shear joy that we had made it. No incidents, only 3 punctures and
2 broken spokes was all that we had had to deal with on this tour. There were
some sore backsides, stiff bodies and moans but that's a small price to pay for five days riding through the magnificent New Zealand alpine region.
Dinner that night was a lot of fun and everyone was
extremely hungry not because the road crew hadn't feed us well, they had, but
because we had expended every ounce of energy on the climbs, long days and
maybe a few late nights.
When asked what was your favourite part of the tour
nearly everyone said Wednesday when we rode 178 km in the pouring rain and gale
force winds. To people who haven't participated in a Smiddy tour this may sound
strange but it's days like that when everyone's commitment to the Smiddy values
of teamwork, spirit and mateship shine through and you really bond with your
fellow cyclists.
At the start of the week the New Zealand 2016 riders had
raised $50,000 and I challenged them to get to $60,000 by the end of the week.
The fundraising now stands at $60,339 with more funds still to come in. It is
just incredible what a small group of dedicated Smiddy riders can achieve and
how much their efforts will contribute to cancer research.
The final Smiddy teamwork jersey was given to Ian Bisson.
He was hurting on day five but that didn't stop him helping the other riders up
the climbs the whole day. It was very easy to choose the 'Perkynana' award
recipient today as Kevin's escapade with the teddy bear stood out. And finally
the Smiddy rainbow socks, in honour of Maria Smiddy, were given to the top 3
fundraisers Stephen and Tim Russell and Ian Bisson who raised over $33,000
together.
The Smiddy team and all our colleagues at the Mater
Foundation would like to thank the 2016 New Zealand riders and road crew for
their support and dedication. You are all members of the Smiddy family now and
we look forward to riding with you again.
New Zealand is a wonderful country for cyclists and there
are many places left to explore. If you are interested in joining us in 2017
please visit www.smiddy.org.au or email the team info@smiddy.org.au. We are planning
another tour that will travel new roads and mountains in the South Island. More
details to come!
~ Cherie
Thursday, 17 March 2016
2016 New Zealand Smiddy Challenge - Day four
Day four - Greymouth to Arthur's Pass
Last night no one had the nerve to predict the weather -
so we didn't and today we woke up to beautiful sunny skies.
It is very rare that the Smiddy riders and road crew get
to sleep in however Killer, Smiddy ride director extraordinaire, had set the
roll out as 8am. It was a rare gift and one we all were very grateful for. Some
in the Smiddy peloton took advantage of the sleep in and stayed out until 2am
sampling the local fine wines and top shelf liquor. But as they were warned
"what goes on tour goes on the blog!"
It's the 17th March and St Patrick's day so the natural
choice to ring the cow bell was an Irish person. We didn't have an Irish person
in the peloton so we made do with Malcolm, from Scotland, who has been
mentioned in every blog so far and needed to have an excuse to be in this one.
The blue skies this morning were stunning but it was
still cold and very windy. We had to work together to stay upright and moving
forward. As we left Greymouth the wind dropped, the weather warmed up and the
scenery was breathtaking. The first stop was at the Brunner Historic Mine Site which had a very tragic history but beautiful views over the river.
There were some very tired bodies in the peloton early on
and everyone was quiet as we got through the first 43 km to morning tea. Lake
Brunner is a beautiful sight and well hidden. You have no idea there is a lake
until you turn the final corner and there it is like a mirror reflecting the
mountains. It was the perfect spot to play tourist and take a lot of photos.
Then we were back on the road with only 30 km to ride
until lunch which sounds easy but every little climb tested the peloton as we
tried to stay together and work together. We rode through a beautiful peaceful
valley that was Irish green and the wind dropped. The speed in the peloton
picked up as we looked forward to an early lunch. We timed it perfectly as the Scenic Touring Train went past and blew its horn in recognition of our fabulous
riding skills.
Lunch was a quick stop as we wanted to get on to the
hardest part of the day which was climbingArthurs Pass. Nervous energy started to build amongst the riders with some wanting to test themselves and take KOM from last years rider Rod Tanner and others scared they weren't up to the challenge. After a quick briefing at the base of the climb the riders were let loose and given the chance to test themselves mentally and physically.
Nothing can prepare you for the views and the steepness
of the climbs. Both are breathtaking and awe -inspiring. Every rider
today took on the challenge of Arthurs Pass and everyone has a story to tell
afterwards. The best story of the day is from Bisso who decided halfway he had
had enough and it was time to find Kevvy and the van. He did and when we all
regrouped at Arthurs Pass village he decided to get back on the bike and ride
the last 10km however he had "accidentally" left his shoes half way
up Arthurs Pass. Oh no the tragedy he wouldn't be able to ride the last day and
reach Christchurch. However someone was looking after him as a kind hearted
motorbike rider had found Bisso's shoes and tucked them into his jacket and
turned back to ride up Arthurs Pass and find the poor rider. Bisso had his
shoes back and was back on the bike. This story earnt Bisso the Perkynana award
for day 4.
Tonight we awarded two Smiddy jerseys for mateship and
spirit. Mateship was for David "the captain" Hill who was everyone's
friend, supporter and ride leader "hand of God". He never had a bad
thing to say and was always the one talking the riders through the pain. The
Spirit award was given to Maria Douglas who rode up Arthurs Pass in tears, in
pain and with the support of Paula, she made it to the top smiling and
honouring her mothers memory.
It's hard to believe that tomorrow is day 5 and our last
day together as we ride into Christchurch. It will be a very special day
tomorrow and we don't care what the weather brings. Actually we are all too
scared to read the forecast and predict rain, sunshine and/or wind.
It's been an incredible 4 days so far and tomorrow will
be just the same!
Oh and Rod, from the 2015 tour, is still KOM.
Wednesday, 16 March 2016
2016 New Zealand Smiddy Challenge - Day Three
Day three - Reefton to Greymouth
Ride stats
Total distance: 176.97 kmTotal riding time: 6 hours 52 minutes
Total lapsed time: 8 hours 50 minutes
Minimum temperature: 7 degrees
Maximum temperature: 17 degrees
Maximum wind gust after lunch: 45km/h
Calories burnt: 3090 which equates to 6 Big Macs or 15 Perkynanas
Road kill count:
1 feral cat1 Weka
6 UFOs
84 roadside waterfalls
Today it rained. It rained all day. Today Smiddy spirit, teamwork and mateship got us through what was an epic day on the bike for riders and an epic day for road crew.
Today we were silly, we were funny and we laughed at everything including the rain. Today we counted waterfalls that gushed down the side of the mountains like we were counting chocolate eggs after an Easter hunt. Today was made up with so many moments that will stay with us long after we fly home but some I have to share.
1. David 'the captain' Hill was extremely worried as we were riding to morning tea that Saos would be soggy. They weren't and he upset Sammi-Jo as there was no way the Smiddy A-team road crew would serve soggy Saos.
2. Sir Kevvy decided the new Smiddy camping dunny needed to be tried out and the driest place was under the tent at morning tea. Luckily he was only pretending!
3. Amanda had a spare pair of dry socks in her day bag which she was so happy to put on during the lunch break. The only problem was she had left her shoes out in the rain and they were full of water. This earnt her a Perkynana nomination.
4. The singing - John Denver's greatest hits, all Simon and Garfunkel's hit songs, and a bit of George Michael.
5. Maria as she was riding up a climb and being helped by Ken. She couldn't understand why it was so hard and she was working so hard until she looked down and saw she was still in her big chain ring.
6. Sir Kevvy who spent all day drying his slightly damp shorts on the back seat of the car only to have a rider in their sopping wet cycling kit sit on them.
7. Ken hiding in the back of the catering van out of the rain at lunch helping himself to the end of day recovery food. The riders called this the Qantas club.
9. A rider, who shall remain nameless, who commented after lunch that if the road crew really wanted to support the riders they would offer to ride their bikes to Greymouth. This person didn't have the balls to actually say this to the road crew.
10. Myself who very confidently predicted the weather for Day 3 - rain between 6 & 8am but clearing as we got closer to Greymouth. Followed by a comment at lunch time "well at least there is no wind" then we rode into an incredible head and side wind and the rain was horizontal. Needless to say I've been sacked as the weather person.
To finish an incredible day on the bike we had dinner at the local Paroa hotel in front of a roaring fire with lots of good red wine. The food was beautiful and the company even better.
The Perkynana award was a joint award to myself for the weather forecast and to Jillian who said on the radio before morning tea that the rain was clearing. We were both so very wrong but luckily the riders were forgiving.
Tonight the Smiddy teamwork jersey award was given to Tim Russell who has supported the riders over the 3 days and become a ride leader. Thank you Tim!
Tomorrow we don't know what the weather forecast is as everyone is too scared to predict it. But it doesn't matter as we only have to ride 120km up a little hill called Arthur's Pass. There has been a rumour that it snowed her last night!
~ Cherie
Tuesday, 15 March 2016
2016 New Zealand Smiddy Challenge - Day two
Day two - Hamner Springs to Reefton
Ride Stats
Total distance - 138.8 kmTotal climbing - 1620 m
Average speed - 23.9 kmph
Total ride time - 5 hours 47 minutes
Lapsed riding time - 7 hour 31 minutes
2664 calories used up and 2663 eaten at morning tea and lunch. Beer at the end of the day doesn't count.
Day two road kill count:
2 rabbits4 possums/red fluffy bits
1 Sid from Ice Age (thanks Ramon)
1 flattened winter coat
1 chewed bug
16 UFOs (unidentified flattened object)
2 birds
1 squished caterpillar by Tim Russell's wheel
Maria Douglas - first time Smiddy rider, referred by good friend Berty.
Maria is riding with her husband Kevin as they both love challenging holidays together that they consider a bit 'out there'. However, they are both ex-kiwis and were possibly a bit drunk when they registered, but have no regrets. Maria is riding in memory of her mother who rode the Smiddy New Zealand course on her 1950s road bike in 1950 as a gap year before she started her nursing training. Maria is challenging herself to ride up the similar climbs on her 2016 road bike with all the bells and whistles.
Last night the New Zealand Smiddy riders and road crew started the 'Perkynana' awards, and the first recipient was Malcolm who couldn't find the tap on the water container. Tonight this very special award has been given to David Solomon who locked himself out of his room wearing nothing but a towel and had to walk through the Old Nurses Quarters for help.
Today we had some fantastic opportunities for the riders to stretch themselves and chase down the Smiddy records from the 2015 New Zealand Tour. Ramon won the King of the Mountain and Cat the Queen of the Mountain for both climbs from Hamner Springs to Reefton. Cat and Ramon battled it out all day to see how was first and it was a tight contest with no mercy given.
But in between the fun contests, there were some tough sections for most of the riders and they all needed to show the Smiddy Spirit and work together as a peloton. After lunch this was really obvious where the group rode together from the final climb to the finish covering 33 km in just 55 minutes at 36.5 kmph.
The weather forecast was for rain but once again the Smiddy riders were protected and it was a lovely temperature for riding and we finished the day under blue skies.
Tonight the special Smiddy jersey has been awarded to Amanda who pushed herself through pain and tears to finish the ride. Her trip to New Zealand is her first overseas holiday and with her brand new passport. Amanda left her husband and kids behind to challenge herself and become a better rider. She had no idea how she would cope with the five days and 700 km of riding, but her Smiddy Spirit is shining through and she has become an inspiration to everyone.
Day two finished with all the riders on a high and smiles all round. The Smiddy cheer and huddle was stronger and louder than the day before with new friendships formed and new respect for all.
Monday, 14 March 2016
Tuesday, 8 March 2016
2016 NEW ZEALAND SMIDDY CHALLENGE - HERE WE COME!
Dedication To Maria and David Smiddy
Maria and David Smiddy lived in New Zealand last year and they surprised the riders by flying in to see them on their final day as they rolled into Christchurch. Two short months later Maria succumbed to her battle against Pancreatic cancer. While I will not be there this year, see why below, I would dearly love to dedicate this first up blog to Maria and David. See photo below of these two beautiful people that we at Smiddy and the Mater Foundation, consider ourselves very fortunate to have come into our lives.
Smiddy Crew Will Bring Calm To Christchurch
Okay you have had a break since December from my blogs and now its New Zealand Smiddy time. As I sit here and write this blog my Smiddy workmates, Christian, Wendy, Cherie and Krista are busy packing gear, printing important forms, making last minute phone calls and replying to emails. It is a hive of activity and there is definitely an infectious buzz at Smiddy HQ. The second running of the Smiddy New Zealand Challenge is set to start this coming Sunday in the shaky city of Christchurch. With small aftershocks still hitting Christchurch after another major Quake hit a little over a month ago, the riders and road crew will be relieved once they clear the outskirts of the city and onto more stable grounds.
Happy/Sad Shark
I have mixed feelings about this ride because for only the second time in ten years of Smiddy events I will not be participating this time around. Last year I was a late exclusion from the Midi Smiddy in May due to a back injury, and this year I put my hand up to not go, so that another Smiddy team member could experience what I was lucky enough to be part of last year. So therefore I am a little sad that I won’t get to share that wonderful Smiddy camaraderie with another awesome bunch of riders and road crew, but really happy knowing that the riders and crew will get that same experience whether I am there or not. Smiddy is in good hands!
What No Shark Writing The Blogs?
So you might be wondering who then will be writing the blogs? Well I am kick-starting the process and doing the first intro blog. Then once in New Zealand, our program manager in Cherie Nicolas, will take over. Cherie will be doing two days on the bike and three days as road crew, so she should bring a great perspective to the event. As well, I am sure, there will be one or two guest blog writers from the riders. So without further ado I would like to introduce you to the riders and road crew, that will be entertaining you over five days, in hopefully sunny and not shaky, New Zealand.
Intro To Our Awesome Riders!
A big welcome to the following riders and while it may seem like a small field, and it is by Smiddy standards, these guys and girls are all on board to raise as much money as possible. To date we are sitting at $50,000 and are confident of bringing in another $25,000. This is simply amazing for such a small group of riders and they all should feel justifiably proud of their efforts. Congratulations to all our riders but especially to Stephen and Tim Russell, (Father & Son) and Ian Bisson, who all work at Russell’s Law Firm and are our top three highest fundraisers to date with over $8000 each.
David Soloman
Timothy Russell
Stephen Russell
Ian Bisson
Amanda de Lucy
Kev Douglas
Maria Douglas
Malcolm Eadie
Catherine Haggart
David Hill
Neil Klein
Ramon Maurice
Stephen Russell
Timothy Russell
Not To Mention Our Wonderful Road Crew
Next I would like to introduce you to our road crew as listed below. These guys are our unsung heroes and without them there would be no Smiddy events. A big shout out to our volunteer riders in Ken Woods and Paula Fleming, who have done many Smiddy events between them and are on-board purely to help all our fundraising riders to complete their journey in NZ. As for Kevin and Sami-Jo they need no introduction as two of the nicest people in the world and long-time Smiddy supporters, with Kevin just recently winning the greatest ever Australian Volunteer award in a ceremony in Melbourne just recently. Hopefully Kevvy comes down from his high soon and is ready to sign some autographs for his adoring fans in New Zealand! Meanwhile Peter is from Christchurch and is back for a second time to drive the front vehicle that keeps the riders safe. While Jillian is Peter’s partner, and Sharon wife to Smiddy rider Neil Klein.
Ken Woods Ride Leader/Support Vehicle
Paula Fleming Ride Leader
Kevin Enchelmaier: Support Vehicle
Sammi-Jo So Massage Therapist
Peter Monopoli Support Vehicle
Jillian Walls Catering Crew
Sharon Kerslake Catering Crew
Team Smiddy
Other than that you have the Smiddy staff members of Christian Killeen, who will be riding in the peloton and the captain of the group. I mentioned Cherie before and last but most importantly the lovely and cleverest Smiddy girl we have ever had behind the scenes, in Wendy Muir! How’s that for a plug Wendy?
So if you are reading this far then you are one of our faithful blog readers and I encourage you to support the crew as much as you can. Their journey begins on March 14th and ends five-days later back where they started from and 700 kilometres later on March 18.
Leave A Message Or Donate
To find out more or if you wish to donate to any of the riders then please go to www.smiddy.org.au
There Is Always A P.S.
P.S. If you know any of the crew and wish to send them a message just send it to Cherie.Nicholas@mater.org.au and she will read your message out each night.
Cheers,
Sharky
Maria and David Smiddy lived in New Zealand last year and they surprised the riders by flying in to see them on their final day as they rolled into Christchurch. Two short months later Maria succumbed to her battle against Pancreatic cancer. While I will not be there this year, see why below, I would dearly love to dedicate this first up blog to Maria and David. See photo below of these two beautiful people that we at Smiddy and the Mater Foundation, consider ourselves very fortunate to have come into our lives.
Smiddy Crew Will Bring Calm To Christchurch
Okay you have had a break since December from my blogs and now its New Zealand Smiddy time. As I sit here and write this blog my Smiddy workmates, Christian, Wendy, Cherie and Krista are busy packing gear, printing important forms, making last minute phone calls and replying to emails. It is a hive of activity and there is definitely an infectious buzz at Smiddy HQ. The second running of the Smiddy New Zealand Challenge is set to start this coming Sunday in the shaky city of Christchurch. With small aftershocks still hitting Christchurch after another major Quake hit a little over a month ago, the riders and road crew will be relieved once they clear the outskirts of the city and onto more stable grounds.
Happy/Sad Shark
I have mixed feelings about this ride because for only the second time in ten years of Smiddy events I will not be participating this time around. Last year I was a late exclusion from the Midi Smiddy in May due to a back injury, and this year I put my hand up to not go, so that another Smiddy team member could experience what I was lucky enough to be part of last year. So therefore I am a little sad that I won’t get to share that wonderful Smiddy camaraderie with another awesome bunch of riders and road crew, but really happy knowing that the riders and crew will get that same experience whether I am there or not. Smiddy is in good hands!
What No Shark Writing The Blogs?
So you might be wondering who then will be writing the blogs? Well I am kick-starting the process and doing the first intro blog. Then once in New Zealand, our program manager in Cherie Nicolas, will take over. Cherie will be doing two days on the bike and three days as road crew, so she should bring a great perspective to the event. As well, I am sure, there will be one or two guest blog writers from the riders. So without further ado I would like to introduce you to the riders and road crew, that will be entertaining you over five days, in hopefully sunny and not shaky, New Zealand.
Intro To Our Awesome Riders!
A big welcome to the following riders and while it may seem like a small field, and it is by Smiddy standards, these guys and girls are all on board to raise as much money as possible. To date we are sitting at $50,000 and are confident of bringing in another $25,000. This is simply amazing for such a small group of riders and they all should feel justifiably proud of their efforts. Congratulations to all our riders but especially to Stephen and Tim Russell, (Father & Son) and Ian Bisson, who all work at Russell’s Law Firm and are our top three highest fundraisers to date with over $8000 each.
David Soloman
Timothy Russell
Stephen Russell
Ian Bisson
Amanda de Lucy
Kev Douglas
Maria Douglas
Malcolm Eadie
Catherine Haggart
David Hill
Neil Klein
Ramon Maurice
Stephen Russell
Timothy Russell
Not To Mention Our Wonderful Road Crew
Next I would like to introduce you to our road crew as listed below. These guys are our unsung heroes and without them there would be no Smiddy events. A big shout out to our volunteer riders in Ken Woods and Paula Fleming, who have done many Smiddy events between them and are on-board purely to help all our fundraising riders to complete their journey in NZ. As for Kevin and Sami-Jo they need no introduction as two of the nicest people in the world and long-time Smiddy supporters, with Kevin just recently winning the greatest ever Australian Volunteer award in a ceremony in Melbourne just recently. Hopefully Kevvy comes down from his high soon and is ready to sign some autographs for his adoring fans in New Zealand! Meanwhile Peter is from Christchurch and is back for a second time to drive the front vehicle that keeps the riders safe. While Jillian is Peter’s partner, and Sharon wife to Smiddy rider Neil Klein.
Ken Woods Ride Leader/Support Vehicle
Paula Fleming Ride Leader
Kevin Enchelmaier: Support Vehicle
Sammi-Jo So Massage Therapist
Peter Monopoli Support Vehicle
Jillian Walls Catering Crew
Sharon Kerslake Catering Crew
Team Smiddy
Other than that you have the Smiddy staff members of Christian Killeen, who will be riding in the peloton and the captain of the group. I mentioned Cherie before and last but most importantly the lovely and cleverest Smiddy girl we have ever had behind the scenes, in Wendy Muir! How’s that for a plug Wendy?
So if you are reading this far then you are one of our faithful blog readers and I encourage you to support the crew as much as you can. Their journey begins on March 14th and ends five-days later back where they started from and 700 kilometres later on March 18.
Leave A Message Or Donate
To find out more or if you wish to donate to any of the riders then please go to www.smiddy.org.au
There Is Always A P.S.
P.S. If you know any of the crew and wish to send them a message just send it to Cherie.Nicholas@mater.org.au and she will read your message out each night.
Cheers,
Sharky
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